"Be Faithful Unto Death" | What That Means
- Summary: "Be faithful!" Jesus places great value on faithfulness. In fact, it is one of the factors that will be evaluated at the judgment seat of Christ. The bible gives us principles concerning being faithful that will enable us to receive Jesus' high praise and gracious rewards as we stand before Him on that day. Note: the phrase "Be faithful unto death" has obvious application to martyrdom. Taking that as a given, let's look at the meaning of being faithful unto death in multiple scenarios of our everyday Christian life.
Matthew 25:21
- •• “Good and faithful” — of all the possible words Jesus could use, He will choose “good” and “faithful" to describe those on whom His favor rests.
- • This shows how important it is to God that we be faithful. How long faithful? Unto death! Jesus told the church in Smyrna, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Revelation 2:10, KJV).
• Let’s get a sense of that word’s meaning in various biblical contexts showing people living and acting faithfully throughout their lives on this earth.
- •• A faithful person does not try to get God to rubber-stamp our agenda. Rather, a faithful person learns the Lord’s commands and obeys them.
- • “Well done, good and faithful OBEY-ers!”
- •• I am thankful for faithful givers in South Valley Church. [Explanatory note: in our church, other than for occasional special or missions offerings, we do not "pass the plate." Rather, we place a receptacle in the back for the members' tithes and offerings. God impresses upon the people to give faithfully, without ongoing pressure from the pulpit.]
- • We taught our children to tithe, even on small allowances. God in turn has blessed them financially. They continue to be faithful in tithes and offerings today, as young adults.
• “Well done, good and faithful TITHERS!”
- •• New Testament “temple” work is not all preaching and witnessing.
- • Sometimes it’s faithfully showing up for work parties.
• Or faithfully working the nursery.
• Or, as Pastor Tom did, faithfully doing worship ministry for 15 years until Pastor Dave merged with us and took over that ministry.
• “Well done, good and faithful WORKERS!”
- •• Faithfulness is not bored compliance with requirements.
- • Faithfulness springs from a godly heart attitude.
• Faithfulness reflects a heart where God is #1.
• “Well done, you of a sincerely faithful HEART!”
- •• Faithfulness is demonstrated in shoe leather, not just in the words of our mouths.
- • Two ladies visited our church in New York for the first time and gushed: “Wow! This is what we’ve been praying for. Give us some church literature to hand out.” And we never saw them again! As the saying goes, "Talk is cheap."
• “Well done, you faithful DOERS of my will, not you mere talkers about it!”
- •• Opportunity to witness? — Speak the Word!
•• Chance to teach a class, a Sunday School? — Say "yes" to the opportunity to be faithful in speaking God's Word!- • In Alaska, I and others taught evening bible classes in Palmer, Talkeetna, Big Lake, Seward, Soldotna, Anchor Point, and elsewhere. We had the Word. Faithfulness demanded that we speak it; it left us no option.
• “Well done, faithful SPEAKERS of my WORD!”
- •• Faithfulness keeps serving God through every circumstance, even when those around you fall.
- • Faithfulness would be you continuing to serve God if all three of us pastors of this church fell away.
• “Well done, you who faithfully KEEP SERVING [the Lord]!”
- •• Faithfulness doesn’t care how many or how big the assigned tasks are, but rather how diligently and honorably we do them.
- • Sunday School teacher is as important as pulpit preacher.
• Cuing the songs to the projector is as honorable as leading them.
• You having perhaps one or two or three assignments from God is as important as my having ten or twenty as the lead pastor (but also the fulltime opportunity to do them).
• “Well done, faithful DOERS of a FEW things.”
- •• Pastor Dick: ”I’d rather have a faithful man than a gifted but unfaithful one.”
- • God will give us the spiritual gifts needed for His work. We must give Him our faithfulness.
• “Well done, you faithful ones whom I can TRUST to use in my service!”
- •• Faithfulness reaches out to others with God’s grace.
- • Gifted in prophecy? Be faithful to wait on it, to use it to bless others.
• Gifts of healing? Seek God, to be ready and faithful to minister to those in need of His touch.
• Be faithful to minister and to serve in whatever capacity God has gifted you.
• “Well done, you who faithfully USE the GIFTS and grace that I give you.”
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Check out our related sermon: Radical Christians: Faithful, Dedicated, Zealous, Devoted to God
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©2005, James H. Feeney.
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Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.